Let us return to Waiapu where the rain cape is thick

Ninety-nine years ago, under the direction of Apirana Ngata and Te Rangihīroa (Peter Buck), then Acting Director of the Dominion Museum James McDonald filmed vignettes of life in Waiapu, along with making photographs. The surviving film footage has been restored and digitized. From 2017 to 2020, artist Natalie Robertson explored the environmental changes in the Waiapu River, making new photographs and a collaborative video work with Graeme Atkins and Alex Monteith.

On the occasion of Natalie Robertson's Tātara E Maru Ana - The Sacred Rain Cape of Waiapu as part of Tēnei Ao Tūroa - This Enduring World, at Te Pātaka Toi Adam Art Gallery, this film and video work are brought together.

This special evening of screenings will be facilitated by Principal Advisor at Toi Māori Aotearoa (Māori Arts New Zealand) Dr Anna-Marie White, with introductions on the night by Tumu Whakarae - Chief Executive at Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision currently seconded as Acting Chief Archivist at Archives New Zealand, Honiana Love, and the artist Natalie Robertson.

Screening:
He Pito Whakaatu i te Noho a Te Māori i Te Tairawhiti - Scenes of Māori Life on the East Coast, 1923, (27 min) by James McDonald. From material preserved and made available by Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision.

Te rerenga pōuri o ngā parawhenua ki Te Moana-nui-a-Kiwa [The desolate journey of sediment to Te Moana-nui-a-Kiwa - the Pacific Ocean], 2020, (17 min) by Natalie Robertson, Graeme Atkins and Alex Monteith, courtesy of the artists.

A discussion including Q&A will follow the screenings.